Leelanau.com Blog
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Ken took this photo of the annual holiday display at Art's in Glen Arbor last year. Ken has a nice little Christmas lights slideshow that you can check out. In case you're wondering, the unfamiliar white stuff is I'm told called "snow", and it used to (get this) fall from the sky and cover the ground.

All kidding aside, reports today say that at 3.5" of snow, this is the lowest recorded total by this time EVER.

Jackson Atwater Thomson took this photo one year ago at Peterson Park, on the Lake Michigan shore near Northport. I don't have a photo from today, but let me assure you that snow is not something we have much of right now.

See it bigger and see more from the day right here.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that plans are in the works for the Bay Area Transit Authority (BATA) to provide a "beach bus" that would provide express service between points of interest along the Lake Michigan shore.

One route would start in Suttons Bay and end at Sleeping Bear Point with intermediate stops at Leland, Good Harbor, The Homestead and Glen Arbor...

Initial reaction to the beach bus proposal was favorable from Tom Ulrich, deputy superintendent of SBDNL.

“It fits right within our goals of providing an opportunity to visit the park without people having to drive from place to place … using gas and filling parking spaces,” Ulrich said. “If it’s simply a bus route to get people to the beach without cars, it sounds like a good idea to me.”

They note that another proposal in the works is a wine country shuttle that will be tested on the Old Mission Peninsula. Don Coe of Black Star Farms commented: “I know that public transportation has been used to promote tourism in other wine regions, such as the Napa Valley. It makes a lot of sense.”

Photo Credit: Empire Beach View by StacyN - MichiganMoments

The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore invites you to join them at the Visitor Center Auditorium in Empire this Saturday, December 17 at 1 PM for a shipwreck program presented by diver/historian Ross Richardson.

The shipwrecks of the Manitou Passage have attracted underwater explorers for decades. Today, the underwater photography of these explorers allows landsmen to visit the shipwrecks from the comfort of a warm, dry chair. Ross Richardson has spent the last decade searching for and documenting shipwrecks off the coast of west Michigan. He is credited with discovering the location of the legendary steamer Westmoreland, which sank south of Sleeping Bear Point in 1854.

Offshore of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore lies the Manitou Passage. Although this 36-mile long waterway offers some protection from the open waters of Lake Michigan, even the waters of the passage can be treacherous. Many ships seeking shelter sank in this passage, hitting shoals and sandbars and running aground before being destroyed by the waves of Lake Michigan. There are 16 known shipwrecks in the passage and around the Manitou Islands, but there may be as many as 45 wrecks still undiscovered on the bottom. Many wrecks are well-preserved and offer clues on how they surrendered to the strength of the big lake in the days before advanced navigation when ships relied on basic tools like a compass, clock, and chart.

For more information, please call the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at 231-326-5134 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/slbe. Also, check out their Facebook page!

The Leland Michigan Chamber of Commerce invites you to do some of your holiday shopping in the village of Leland the next two Thursdays, December 15 & 22. Many Leland shops & stores will be open until at least 8:00.

Refreshments will be available at some locations. Come join the Leland merchants, decorated for the season!

Also, if you're in town, the Bluebird starts their 2011-2012 Ethnic Night season this Wednesday & Thursday. This week it's French featuring Classic French Cuisine and incredible French wine. Next week (Dec. 21-22) is Santa Fe featuring their take on Southwestern Cooking and December 28-29 is New England with fresh Atlantic seafood and northwoods specialties!

Photo credit: KAScott_20090326_0646-56b by Ken Scott

Our feature today is an interview from Michigan Magazine TV with the authors of Vintage Views of Leelanau County, one of the neatest books on Leelanau history out there. See information about the book and ordering it below the video!

Click to order Vintage Views of Leelanau County from Huron Press (or one of Leelanau's great bookstores).

Authors M. Christine Byron and Thomas R. Wilson share images from their collection of 1,400 postcards collected over the past 15 years. Vacation sentiments accompany the cards, imparting an original voice to each respective era, from the 1890s to 1960s. It's a historic travel guide from a traveler's perspective. Visit Glen Arbor, Glen Lake, Leland, Northport, exclusive Northport Point, Omena, Suttons Bay and the Manitou Islands. Each page offers a masterful blend of vintage scenes and contemporaneous comments from newspaper articles, ads, and travel brochures. Includes never-before-seen photographs of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, pictures of what was to be the permanent summer residence for the President of the United States, and golf courses that have since disappeared. A marvelous mix of vintage fun and facts of a time you'll cherish.

This week's photo is Flying Crane by GLASman1. He captured it this May in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore . See it background big, on his map or check out more shots in his Sandhill Cranes slideshow. You learn more about these majestic birds and see another shot from Mark on Michigan Birds: Sandhill Crane from Michigan in Pictures!

This Sunday (December 11) at 3 PM the Northport Community Arts Center presents their annual Christmas Concert. The Northport Community Band and the Village Voices will combine their talents to bring you a seasonal "Holiday Highlights". Voices, keyboards, and instruments will join in bringing back special musical memories for all of us, plus a surprise or two.

Bring the kids, and plan to sing along on some of your favorites. This is definitely a relaxed and fun-filled evening for the whole family! To order tickets for this concert as well as season tickets and flex passbooks call their office at 231.386.5001, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 2 pm.

Here's yet another national feature on Michigan wines that highlights the Leelanau Peninsula. John Flesher of the Associated Press touts the wine industry as one on the bright spots in Michigan’s economy, as it is growing 5 times faster that the state’s economy. The article quotes Leelanau winemaker Dan Matthias as saying "It's one of the brightest spots we have in the state of Michigan." It continues:

Michigan’s reputation for quality wine has surged while its lineup of varieties has expanded. Wineries are now turning highly regarded selections of merlot, pinot noir, pinot blanc, cabernet franc and ice wines, a dessert variety made with grapes frozen before harvesting.

“It’s been like an explosion the last couple of years. They’ve been winning medals left and right, competing across the U.S. and internationally,” said Yolanda Daly, director of the Pacific Rim Wine Competition in San Bernadino, Calif. “Beautiful wines are coming out of Michigan.”

As word spreads, businesses in Michigan’s wine regions reap the benefits. About 1 million people visit the state’s wineries each year. They tend to have enough money for dining out, buying gifts and entertainment, said Brad Van Dommelen, president of the convention and visitors bureau in Traverse City, recently named by TripAdvisor.com as one of America’s top 10 wine destinations. (read)

The industry pumps about $300 million into the state’s economy each year and employs thousands of people in wine production and spinoff jobs in hotels, restaurants and shops.

“We’re also making lists of the top foodie towns because of our restaurants,” Van Dommelen said. “When you offer a top-quality wine experience along with that, it’s huge for tourism—and for the entire local economy.”

Beyond the quality of the wines, we have a very special wine touring destination that provides a playground for families and individuals that you just can't match in most other wine regions in the country.

Photo credit: vineyard by beachpiks

Details surrounding the history, legend and exciting 2010 discovery of one of the Great Lakes’ most sought-after shipwrecks will be disclosed during the Empire Area Heritage Group’s Dec. 2, free public program at the Empire Township Hall TONIGHT at 7 PM. Ross Richardson, a Lake Ann diver and a 10-year former board member of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates, will share his extensive research on and incredible discovery of the Westmoreland. The 160-ft. passenger steamer sank more than 150 years ago in the icy waters off what is known now as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The ship, with 34 passengers and crew, was rumored to have been carrying whiskey and gold coins when she went down in December, 1854 – a tale that launched over a dozen expeditions in the ensuing years to find her and her treasures. Only 17 people were saved during the tragic event. Richardson solved the mystery of the ship’s whereabouts using history books, old newspapers and what he calls “a little bit of hard work.” He found the wreck in July, 2010 – sitting upright, bow and arches intact – in an uncharted hole. Read more about it and see photos in this Leelanau.com article on the Westmoreland's discovery!

For more information about Friday’s program, email empiremuseum@centurytel.net